This invention relates to a row crop harvesting machine, such as is used for removing corn and the like from row planted stalks and more particularly to an improved attachment for such machine to prevent loss of crop material from the machine during the harvesting operation.
A row crop harvesting machine such as a corn head or a corn picker conventionally includes a plurality of laterally spaced forwardly extending gathering members that ride between the rows as the machine advances to direct the row planted crop material into fore and aft passages between the adjacent gathering members. The gathering members conventionally include hood-like shield structures that taper downwardly and forwardly to a forward gathering point that is normally positioned between the adjacent rows.
IT IS KNOWN TO PROVIDE AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING SHIELD EXTENSION OR EAR SAVER ON TOP OF THE SHIELD STRUCTURE TO CATCH ANY OF THE CORN EARS OR THE LIKE THAT ARE DISLODGED FROM THE STALK AND FALL ON TOP OF THE SHIELD STRUCTURE, SO THAT THE CROP MATERIAL DOES NOT FALL FORWARDLY OUT OF THE MACHINE, THE SHIELD EXTENSIONS DEFLECTING THE CROP LATERALLY INTO ONE OF THE ADJACENT HARVESTING PASSAGEWAYS WHERE IT IS CARRIED INTO THE MACHINE BY THE HARVESTING MECHANISM. While the shield extensions are desirable when the crop is standing upright, when the crop is down and tangled, the shield extensions can be a detriment, since the down and tangled stalks ride on top of the shield structure and are lifted thereby, and the upwardly extending shield extensions interfere with the rearward and upward movement of the stalks along the top of the shield structure. While it has been possible to remove presently available shield extensions, the removal of currently available shield extensions has been a laborious and time-consuming job, and consequently, once the shield extensions are removed, in many cases they are never reinstalled, or at least they are not reinstalled as soon as it would be desirable, since the installation takes up valuable harvesting time.